


Sparks Fly

by Anonymous



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Arson, Attempted Sexual Assault, Don't Like Don't Read, Fire, Gun Violence, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Non-Consensual Kissing, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Twincest, Unsympathetic Logic | Logan Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24566161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: It started when Remus was drunk. But it evolved from there, and like a fire, the heat grew until they could no longer hold back the danger and succumbed to the flames.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders
Comments: 18
Kudos: 36
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Ignition

It was three in the morning, and Remus was drunk. That was what started this whole ordeal. Roman was driving the car, they had a spare can of gasoline in the back of the car, and Remus was drunk and playing with a lighter. His eyes were glazed over, staring out the window, watching the world go by without doing anything in response to it, and Roman watched him hesitantly.

Remus gasped suddenly, eyes lighting up, and Roman nearly swerved the car off the road. “Remus!” Roman snapped. “Don’t startle me like that!”

“Roman!” Remus exclaimed, completely ignoring him, “You know how we hate that stupid hometown sign that we have to drive by every day when we come home from work?”

“...Yes?” Roman asked.

“Let’s burn it to the ground,” Remus said, eyes alight.

“Burn it to the—you’re joking, right?” Roman scoffed. “There’s no way we could get away with burning it  _ at all, _ let alone burning it until it’s unrecognizable.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Remus said, sitting forward and hands moving wildly. “Come on! No one’s awake, and it's not like there’s any cameras watching the sign! We throw some gas on it, toss a match at it, and watch it light up!”

“Remus...I know you have an obsession with fire but that would be taking things too far,” Roman said, pulling over a mile or so away from their hometown. “That’s completely insane.”

“As opposed to what?” Remus asked, jutting his chin out in challenge. “I’m already insane, Ro, what’s losing it a little more?”

“Remus—!” Roman protested as Remus unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. “Remus, don’t do this! We’re going to get in trouble!”

“Not if we’re careful!” Remus assured him with a hand-wave.

It wasn’t very successful. “Remus, we’re going to get arrested if we do this! And the firefighters will be here before anything can be burned out!”

Remus considered. “You know what? You’re right,” he said. He went to the back of the van and grabbed their spare can of gas before starting the trek to their hometown sign. “Gas will make it burn  _ that _ much faster.”

“Remus!” Roman hissed, running after him. “Remus, this is  _ such _ a dumbass move, don’t you dare—!”

Remus whirled around, his gaze boring straight into Roman’s soul, eyes ablaze with contempt and suppressed anger. “Roman, I’m doing this with or without you,” he hissed. “If you want to turn me into the cops tomorrow, fine. But I’m burning down that stupid sign that implies that all is right with the world.”

Roman swallowed. Remus was serious, deadly serious, and Roman didn’t know how to handle this side of his brother. It was a side he rarely saw, and a side that he didn’t know how to respond to.  _ If I’m not there and he gets hurt, I’ll never forgive myself, _ he thought. “Fine,” Roman said. “But be careful.”

Remus flashed Roman a cheeky smile and said, “I’m always careful.”

Roman and Remus walked up to the sign and Roman glanced around. There weren’t any security cameras on the edge of the town for years, and Roman ensured that there still weren’t. “No one in the neighborhood has their lights on?” Roman asked.

“Who cares?” Remus asked, unscrewing the cap on the gasoline.

“Hey,” Roman said, grabbing Remus’ bicep. “I care, Remus. I don’t want you getting hurt just because you’re angry and you’re drunk. You want to burn down the sign? Fine, we’ll burn it. But I’m not letting you get arrested for this stupid stunt, okay?”

Remus searched Roman’s face, noticing the set in his jaw, the determination in his eyes. Remus softened. “Yeah, okay. I don’t see any of the immediate neighbors’ lights on, we can hang in our car, driving around until the fire is out, or we can pretend that the battery died for some reason if people get suspicious. It’ll be okay, Roman.”

Roman nodded and let Remus toss the gas all over the sign, making a trail leading from the sign a couple feet away in the grass. Remus pulled out his lighter. “This thing is almost out of juice anyway, I don’t mind sacrificing it,” he said with a shrug, opening it, taking a big step back, and tossing it into the gas trail.

The fire lit up quickly, orange yellow flames leaping up wherever the gasoline went, sprinting across the ground to leap up at the sign. Roman and Remus just stood there a moment, staring in awe. “Wow,” Remus breathed.

“That’s gorgeous,” Roman murmured. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

Remus shook himself and placed a hand on Roman’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get back to the car,” he muttered.

Somewhat reluctantly, both of them walked away from the fire. When half a mile was between them and the flames, they looked at each other and grinned just a little bit. “That was pretty fun,” Roman admitted. “Watching the fire was nice.”

Remus’ eyes lit up exactly like the flames they had started and he nodded. “I know!  _ And _ we get to see that old sign go! It’s perfect! We’re gonna get a fresh start  _ and _ we get to enjoy the fire. This was  _ amazing!” _

Roman was inclined to agree. The sheer strength of the fire, the enjoyment, the trance he fell into as he watched the flames lick at their target, it was enchanting. “We should start a bonfire in the backyard,” Roman said. “We have the fire pit, we should use it. Maybe have a block party, have everyone come over, and we can roast s’mores.”

“We definitely should use the fire pit,” Remus agreed. “Throw some gas on that sucker and we could make the fire  _ huge! _ Imagine what we could do if we had the time to stoke the flames!”

Roman shivered. The thought of a huge fire was intoxicating. He wanted to see the flames, to feel the heat, again and again and again. “Should we set the block party up in...two weeks?” Roman asked. “Sometime after the sign is gone?”

“Weekend after next sounds perfect,” Remus said. “I don’t have a shift then.”

“Cool,” Roman said.

They got back to the car and got in, and Roman drove them off onto a service road so that no one would see them, but they still got to watch the fire a while longer. “There have been weirder bonding activities than setting fires, surely,” Roman said idly.

Remus laughed. “Public vandalism is certainly not the most  _ wholesome _ bonding activity, but it can be fun,” he said.

“Yeah,” Roman agreed.

Remus slung an arm over his eyes and declared, “I’m gonna try to sleep for a bit. Wake me up when we get home, ‘kay?”

“Of course,” Roman agreed.

Remus leaned back in his seat, and Roman could soon hear his soft snoring. But Roman’s mind whirred at the speed of sound, trying to figure out why he was so excited at the thought of tonight. Yes, the fire was pretty, and it was nice to watch, but that didn’t seem to be the biggest appeal. He loved getting to see Remus excited, and animated, and ready to take on the world and damn the consequences. Remus came  _ alive _ when they did this. And as Roman looked at his brother in the passenger seat, he  _ knew _ that he wanted to see that light in Remus’ eyes again.

* * *

The party that Remus and Roman held two weeks later was nice. Everyone from the neighborhood had come to their house, bringing food or drink of some kind, and the kids of the neighborhood were running around Roman and Remus’ backyard, playing tag while the adults hung around and talked.

Remus’ eyes were dull and half-focused as he sat in a chair at the edge of the deck while sipping on a beer. Roman was grilling burgers and one of their neighbors, Logan, was nearby bemoaning the “arson incident” as he called it.

The firefighters’ response time had been terrible, as most people were asleep at that point and hadn’t noticed the fire until the sign was halfway charred and completely unrecognizable. So Remus had gotten his wish. The fire had burned down the sign completely, and they would have to rebuild it if they wanted a sign at that entrance, which, according to their Detective Logan, “Wasn’t in the city budget.” Remus and Roman had shared an amused look at that. Logan was always going on about how certain things weren’t in the city budget, and it was fun to watch him get all wound up. And no one had a clue that they were the ones who had set the fire. According to Logan, it had “probably been some dumb, drunk teenagers” who were “trying to stick it to the man and everyone around them.”

Remus stood up and lazily walked over to Roman, eyes still looking dull and bored. “When do you think we can start the bonfire?”

“When the sun has set behind the trees should be good,” Roman said. “Everyone agreed that the bonfire is better done around twilight. That’s the earliest we can do it.”

Remus grumbled. “I want to see the flames  _ now,” _ he whispered petulantly, when they were sure that Logan was out of earshot.

“I know, you pyromaniac,” Roman said. “But we have to wait. We’ve got all the old furniture from around the neighborhood stacked up. The kids have used all their old schoolwork they don’t want to keep as the tinder. Everything’s ready. We just have to wait forty five more minutes.”

“That’s going to take  _ forever,” _ Remus whined.

Roman rolled his eyes. “It’ll be here before you know it,” he promised Remus with a smile. “Okay? Finish your beer. Play with the kids. Start a revolution of tiny children singing the chicken dance to annoy their parents. It’ll be here soon enough, and then we can watch the flames without risk of anyone getting up in arms, because everyone knows that we’re here and it’s relatively ‘safe.’”

Remus hummed. “Do we have the stuff for s’mores?”

“Of course we do,” Roman scoffed. “What do you take me for?”

“Just making sure,” Remus hummed. “I’m gonna finish my beer, and then get the kids as my army. Don’t be surprised if you have annoying kids songs stuck in your head for the rest of the week.”

Roman laughed. “You do that,” he said.

Remus wandered away and Roman chatted with the other adults as he served up burgers and hotdogs. Eventually, Logan extricated himself from the children following him around and came up to Roman. “So, Roman,” Logan said. “Did Remus go out in the next town over the night of the arson incident?”

“Uh, I think so,” Roman said. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I know you usually drive him home when he gets too drunk, and you would have to pass the sign when you come back into town, wouldn’t you?” Logan said. “Couldn’t you have seen something?”

“I didn’t see anything, sorry,” Roman said. “Remus insisted we take the long way home. By the time we passed the sign, it was already charred and the fire was put out. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

Logan sighed. “Your brother is...quite the character,” he said.

The two of them looked out over the deck, observing Remus teaching the kids of the neighborhood the fine art of the chicken dance, jumping around and laughing and playing a little rough but making sure that the kids were still safe. “He is,” Roman agreed. “But he’s a good guy.”

“I arrested him multiple times for drunken and disorderly behavior, Roman,” Logan said. “You could move out and leave him to his own devices, you could prosper without him weighing you down and having you drive him around everywhere.”

Roman shook his head. “No. Believe me, Logan, I wouldn’t want to do well in life without my brother at my side. It may be frustrating sometimes, and sometimes I wish that he didn’t drive me up the wall so much, but I wouldn’t drop Remus by the curb for anything. He’s my brother. I care about him too much.”

Logan reluctantly nodded. “I suppose,” he said. “But if you ever change your mind, let me know. I can help him get out of your hair.”

The way Logan said that made Roman’s skin crawl. He remembered high school all too well, when rumors had gone around the entire school that Logan was gay, and that he had an interest in Roman. Even to this day, no one in town had ever seen him show a romantic interest in anyone. The closest person he ever got to in that way was Roman. He had suspected that the rumors about Logan were true, but he could never prove it. Logan’s best friend, Patton, would never rat out Logan like that.

As Remus laughed with the kids some more, joining them in their game of tag, Roman sighed. He knew that Logan and Patton had been confused when in middle school, Patton had shoved Remus away from their friend group and Roman had left as well. But he wasn’t about to leave his brother alone, that just wasn’t fair! It was the two of them against the world, always had been, always would be. And if the “Perfect Three” of Logan, Patton, and Virgil didn’t want to have Remus around, well, then they wouldn’t have Roman either.

But Roman wished that they would have stopped bugging him like they stopped bugging Remus. Instead, they had gone around poking Roman and acting like Remus didn’t exist. That had died down some since high school, because they weren’t forced to see each other all the time, but Roman had sadly grown used to the, “If you ever want to abandon your brother, call me,” comments.

Remus glanced at Roman on the deck, knowing that whatever was going on in his head, wasn’t good. Logan had spoken to Roman, and Remus hoped that it was just their usual flavor of “try to abandon Remus and become actually useful with us” instead of asking Roman about the fire. Much as Remus didn’t mind being put in a holding cell, he knew that Roman would absolutely hate it, and be miserable if he were ever put in holding overnight, and Remus hated seeing his brother upset.

Roman shook himself and actually  _ looked _ at Remus, and Remus gave him a questioning look and a thumbs-up. Roman smiled, shoulders relaxing as he offered a thumbs-up back. Remus turned to the kids still running around. “Who here wants burgers and hotdogs before the bonfire starts?!” he asked, hand shooting up into the air.

The kids successfully distracted by food, Remus got up onto the deck, taking a burger for himself and leaning against the deck next to where Roman was working and eating at the same time. “What was Logan talking to you about?” Remus asked, wrinkling his nose.

“He wanted to know if we saw anything that might help with the fires. I said that you wanted to take the long way home and we didn’t see anything. He also did his usual spiel of ‘you’re better than this,’ which, of course, I turned him down on his offer of what was a thinly veiled ‘upgrade.’”

“Ew,” Remus said, tearing into his burger. “So he’s still Detective Asshole, then.”

“Definitely,” Roman said, nodding.

Remus shrugged and together they stayed until everyone had eaten their fill and the sun had set. It was time to start the bonfire.

Roman went over to the fire pit with a lighter and started lighting up the kids’ tinder. The fire soon caught onto the miscellaneous sticks and twigs that had been thrown on top of that, and everyone stood back, either talking or just watching the fire glow.

Remus was slightly more alive now that the fire had started, but there was a certain melancholy in his gaze that Roman didn’t like. Roman poked and prodded Remus until they were both smiling, at least, joking around and having fun, and by that time, the fire was starting to work on the wooden furniture.

The kids were begging to make s’mores, so Remus went inside and grabbed all the s’mores materials while Roman gathered sticks for the kids to use. The s’mores kept the kids occupied and the adults supervised, and the party slowly started to die down. The sun had set and it was getting late, and while the bonfire was pretty, at the end of the day everyone had to go home.

Once the last of the people had left and the fire pit was only embers, Remus morosely poked at the remains of the fire. “Something wrong?” Roman asked.

“I thought that this would be good,” Remus said. “That I could just—that I—we—could feel fulfilled just by the bonfires. We could make them every once in a while, and we’d be safe, and no one would have to get arrested. But—” he shook his head. “It’s not the same. It’s not fun. It’s not wild and dangerous and reckless—it doesn’t give me that same adrenaline rush. And I  _ need _ that rush, Ro. I never get it anymore, and I  _ need _ it.”

Roman put a hand on Remus’ shoulder. He was hoping that the bonfire was enough, but if it wasn’t, he knew what he had to say. He would do anything for Remus, just to see him happy. So... “It’s okay,” Roman said. “If you need wild, we’ll make it wild. If it makes you happy, we can plan out what and where to burn next. Okay?”

“You promise?” Remus asked, eyes showing just a spark of hope.

“I promise,” Roman said, smiling. “Let’s go inside and find somewhere safe to plan.”

* * *

Ablaze. Remus’ eyes were ablaze as they spread kerosene all around the abandoned warehouse. Roman was grinning as he watched Remus practically  _ dance _ around the warehouse, throwing kerosene that they had stolen all over the walls, and the floor. Roman was doing his part, making sure that the abandoned items in the building were as flammable as possible. “How’s it going?” Roman asked Remus.

“Great!” Remus exclaimed. “This is going to be  _ fantastic, _ Roman! Everything’s going to light up like a Christmas tree and we get to watch it from across the street! This is literally the  _ best!” _

Roman grinned. Seeing Remus alive like this made Roman’s stomach flip happily. He would do anything to see Remus like this, as evidenced by throwing kerosene all over a warehouse. Remus tossed the can of kerosene into the middle of the room and threw his hands up in victory. “We’ve done it!” he exclaimed. “Let’s light this place up and watch it burn!”

Roman shook his head fondly and used the last of his kerosene on the door as they walked out, before lighting a match and tossing it over his shoulder at the door. They dashed to the abandoned apartment building across the street and set up shop in the second floor. Remus positioned himself at the window, watching the fire spread and the smoke rise up into the sky.

And Roman was staring. By god, he was staring. Remus was squirming happily, rambling about his favorite aspects of the fire, and things that went well and things that they might want to tweak next time. His eyes were ablaze and burned hotter than the fire across the street. And Roman, knew, in that instant, that he was in love with Remus.

Emboldened by the adrenaline rushing through his veins, Roman rushed forward and grabbed Remus by his shirt, crashing his lips into Remus’ with fervor. He was hungry, and desperate, and he needed to show Remus exactly how much he loved him  _ right this instant, _ for fear of not being able to show him at all in the future.

Remus was still for a minute, not kissing back, not moving at all, just stiff with surprise. But as Roman seemed to return to himself, pulling back just a hair and ready to apologize, Remus moved forward, bringing their lips together again. They moved in time with each other, and Roman thought back through the years, to all the time that they had fought side by side, moving in sync without ever having to say a word.

Remus pulled back, stroking Roman’s cheek, and Roman panted, breathless. “You love me?” Remus asked.

“I do,” Roman panted. “It took me a while to realize, but—Remus—I love you. I’ll do anything for you. I’ll light a thousand fires if I have to, just so long as it makes you happy. I’ll—”

Remus cut him off with another tender kiss. “I’ve loved you for years,” Remus admitted. “Years and years, and I never wanted to say anything, because I never wanted to lose what we had. But—if you love me, are you willing to—”

“—Yes,” Roman said. “I’m willing to do anything for you, Remus. And I’ll never let anyone hurt you if it’s in my power to stop it. You’re my brother, and I love you with a fire that burns hotter than the surface of the sun.”

“The surface of the sun?” Remus laughed. “Honey, my love burns hotter than the sun’s  _ core.” _

They stayed there for a little while, just staring at each other. Sirens pierced the air distantly, and they looked back out at the warehouse, noticing that it had been completely engulfed in flames. “Should we leave?” Roman asked uncertainly.

“If we leave now it’ll be suspicious,” Remus said. “They shouldn’t search the surrounding houses until morning, when the police investigate the fire. We can leave at dawn and they shouldn’t catch us. We head back home, have breakfast, go to work, the usual. And when we get home we can plan where we want to burn next.”

Roman smiled. “You still want to do this with me? You don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Remus said. “You’re the Bonnie to my Clyde, the Butch Cassidy to my Sundance Kid. You’re my partner in crime, and I really want you by my side for the rest of time.”

“Good,” Roman said, smiling. “I want that too.”


	2. Embers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags are updated. Mind them.

Remus waltzed into his and Roman’s house, humming under his breath. It was just after four in the morning, and his clothes reeked of smoke, but he had a very successful night despite Roman not wanting to come out with him. Roman had  _ constantly _ been insisting that they keep the fires “spread out” and that they needed to have a long “cooling off period” to keep the cops off their back. Remus didn’t care. He wanted to see the entire town go up in flames. He hated this place and he was going to burn it down one building at a time, even if it killed him.

A light flicked on in the living room and Remus turned to find Roman there, looking pissed. “Where have you been?” he asked.

“Out,” Remus said with a little shrug.

“Dammit, babe, I told you not to set any fires until this Saturday!” Roman snapped, coming over with his arms crossed.

“You said you wouldn’t  _ join _ me until this Saturday,” Remus said. “I can set fires on my own, after all.”

Roman pulled a face. “Oh, so you don’t care if I join you or not?!”

“No!” Remus exclaimed. “It’s always more fun with you, babe, but if you won’t go out with me all the time, I understand. It’s not going to stop me though. I  _ need _ the fires to feel alive, Roman. Don’t you understand?! This keeps me going!”

Roman just his chin out and Remus’ stomach sank. Roman really didn’t understand, did he? He didn’t understand that this, the thing that brought them together, that kept him not only entertained but  _ happy _ and  _ content _ was just that. The thing that kept him happy and content. “Remus,” Roman said, “I need you to be careful. Logan has been talking to me, saying that he has several leads. Now that they know the fires are all set by the same person? They’re seriously investigating this thing. It’s not safe!”

“It never  _ was _ safe,” Remus scoffed.

“It’s  _ less safe!” _ Roman exclaimed. “You could get  _ arrested! _ Again! And this time the charges would stick, because our precious Golden Trio has sworn that they would plant evidence if they didn’t have enough to keep whoever it was under their thumb! Don’t you understand?! You’re gonna get seriously hurt at this rate!”

“I can take care of myself, Roman!” Remus exclaimed, jabbing his finger in Roman’s chest. “Just because  _ you _ can take breaks from being the precious golden child to run wild doesn’t mean that everyone else just puts their life on pause until you want to run wild again!”

Roman turned red and snapped, “I’m not asking you to pause, and I’m not a golden child! Or don’t you remember how mom kicked us  _ both _ out, you for not getting a job and  _ me _ for being  _ gay?! _ I’m trying to be rational with you, Remus! I want you to understand why this is so dangerous!”

Remus scoffed and Roman growled. Remus wanted to shout Roman down, get him submissive and compliant, at least for the night. They could discuss this more in the morning, when Remus was off his fire high, but something told Remus that Roman wouldn’t let this subject drop. “If you’re trying to be  _ rational _ with me, then that’s your first mistake, moron! I’m a creature of passion and impulse, you can’t get me to listen to your precious logic and rational thought! I thought we established that with the bonfire! ‘Rational’ is just a synonym for ‘boring’ and ‘safe’ and ‘dull’! There’s nothing exciting about it, and I, for one, do not want to put up with that for the rest of my life! I need some  _ excitement _ in my life, and  _ you’re _ certainly not going to provide that!”

Roman reeled backwards, before his eyes grew dark and he spat, “What’s  _ that _ supposed to mean?!”

“We always do things by  _ your _ schedule!” Remus scoffed. “You want to do this, you want to do that, you want to wait until such a time and we always do it  _ your _ way! Well, this isn’t  _ your _ ambition, Roman!  _ I’m _ the one who started this, or have you forgotten?! This is what  _ I _ want to do,  _ you _ only joined to make sure I didn’t get arrested, and I haven’t! We’re  _ fine, _ asshole! If I say we light fires every other night, then, as this is  _ my _ hobby, we do what  _ I _ say!”

Roman shook his head. “This isn’t just  _ your _ hobby, it’s  _ our _ hobby!” Roman exclaimed. “And seeing as how we’re supposed to, y’know, compromise when we disagree, I thought you’d be willing to see things from my side for just long enough that we could come to an agreement! Whatever happened to the two of us against the world, huh?! Since when did this become about  _ you _ and  _ your wants _ alone?!”

“Since it became clear that  _ I’m _ the only one who really  _ cares _ about the fires! You just wanted in my pants and you were willing to do whatever it took to get there! And now that you have, you want everything back on your precious little schedule again!” Remus snapped.

Roman blinked, not saying anything for a solid minute. Remus counted the seconds as the clock in the hall ticked by. After sixty three seconds, Roman seemed to finally find his voice. “Well, fuck you too,” he said softly. “I’ll grab my things and find a hotel to stay at, since you clearly don’t want me here.”

“Great!” Remus said. “Don’t come back until you realize who’s  _ really _ in charge here!”

Roman stormed off to their room and Remus huffed. He hadn’t wanted this argument. He had wanted to come home and maybe do some love-making with Roman before they both fell asleep and Roman went to work in the morning while Remus schemed on his day off. But clearly, Fate had other plans.

Roman came back downstairs with a suitcase and he smacked his shoulder into Remus’ as he got to the door. “Call me when you realize you’re being a reckless ass,” Roman said. “And I’ll  _ consider _ your apology.”

The front door slammed and Remus grumbled, heading to bed and deciding that he was going to put this out of his mind until the morning at least.

* * *

Light streamed in thin lines across the floor from where the blinds were partially open. Maps of the town littered the table and the walls in the room, some of them covered with red x’s, and some of them circled in black. Crumpled up papers and beer cans littered the floor, and in the middle of it all, sleeping on the foldable card table, was Remus, recovering from a hangover that took half a week to achieve, and another half to sleep off. He had been planning vigorously for his biggest fire yet, deciding to forget about Roman and throw himself into his passion. After the second beer, though, he realized that something was missing from the equation. Oh, sure, the chemicals were fine, and the materials were all easily accessible. But there wasn’t that flair, that fun. He hadn’t experienced that fun in a while, though, not since...

_ Oh. _ The last time he felt that fun was the last time Roman had joined him for the fire. He blinked open his eyes as that realization fully woke him up. He  _ had _ enjoyed the fires when Roman wasn’t there, but only because Roman was home and he could explain all the intricacies of the plan, of the fire, of his genius. He needed an audience. And Roman was the best audience there was. He needed to apologize. Fuck.

He stood and stumbled his way to the door, to find Roman on the other side, his hand raised to knock. Remus blinked. Roman took a half-step back in surprise but otherwise just stared at Remus. “I thought you weren’t coming back here,” Remus said casually.

“I wasn’t,” Roman replied.

They stared at each other for another minute. They started to talk at the same time. “I want to—” “We should have—”

“Sorry,” Remus said, covering his mouth. “You go first.”

“No, you can,” Roman said.

“I insist,” Remus said.

“I want to apologize,” Roman said. “You’re your own person, and I should have respected that you can do things without me.”

“We should have waited until morning to talk,” Remus said. “I snapped at you because I was riding the high and I didn’t want to hear anything against what I thought. But you’re such an important part of the fire-setting, Roman. It’s just not the same without you, and I want to work with you for however long I can. You make it fun. The fires are exciting, true, but they’re...just not the same without you.”

Roman frowned. “You haven’t set any while I was gone, did you?”

Remus shook his head. “They haven’t had the same... _ spark _ since we fought. And I just realized why. I was about to drive to the motel you were holing up in and apologize.”

“Oh,” Roman said, looking touched. “Well, thanks, Re. That means a lot to me. Agree that we were both out of line and not to do it again?”

Remus made a cross over his heart. “Never again,” he swore.

“Can I come in?” Roman asked with a little grin.

Remus stepped aside and Roman walked in with his suitcase and set it down. “Does this mean we’re still together?” Roman asked.

Remus closed the front door and his hands hovered over Roman’s hips. “If that’s what you want, baby.”

Roman grinned and kissed Remus, and Remus’ hands settled on Roman’s body. “It’s what I want,” Roman murmured when they parted.

“Mm, good,” Remus hummed. “I don’t know what I would do without you, you know.”

“Yeah,” Roman agreed. “You’d be a mess without me. It’s okay, though. Because I’m not the same without you, either.”

They walked to the kitchen and Roman looked around. “Did you eat  _ anything _ while I was gone?” he asked.

“I drank a lot of beer,” Remus said with a shrug.

“That doesn’t count,” Roman said definitively. “I’m making you some ramen.”

Remus let out a put-upon groan but smiled softly after. He didn’t always like Roman mother-henning him, but the sentiment was appreciated, especially now. “Did the Perfect Trio try and contact you while you weren’t here?” Remus asked.

Roman snorted. “Yeah. Logan was talking to me at work the other day. Claimed he was just concerned for me, but he was in uniform, so I suspect he was investigating something. He said I was welcome to join him, Patton, and Virgil, and I told him to get lost.”

“Even after our fight?” Remus asked, surprised.

“I don’t like his attitude,” Roman said, wrinkling his nose. “Besides, even during the rougher times we’re still technically together. I wouldn’t want to cheat on you.”

“We’re both polyamorous, though,” Remus said.

“And I want your consent before I pursue anyone,” Roman said. “Besides, me dating someone who’s toxic to you doesn’t sound like a very good idea. And something tells me Detective Asshole wouldn’t approve of incest. Furthermore, I’m not pretending you’re ‘just’ my brother every time he’s around, especially if he were to ever move in.”

“Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t stand that,” Remus said with a laugh. “He’d have to be really cool with a lot of stuff all of a sudden were you to date him.”

“I know, right?” Roman said. “And he’s not. So I’m not putting either of us through all of that. We can just...be awkward neighbors around the local barbeque. But anything else would just be hard on everyone.”

“Yeah, no, not going through that,” Remus said, grimacing.

“Definitely not,” Roman agreed.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Roman glanced at Remus. “Have you been planning anything at all? Anything I should know about?”

“I have one fire planned, and it’s gonna be huge,” Remus said with a smirk. “I want you in on it, if you think you’re up for it.”

“Definitely,” Roman agreed. “Where is it?”

“The fair grounds,” Remus said. “They’re planning a carnival and I want to burn it in the wee hours, when everyone’s either gone home or are sleeping in the trailers, away from the fire.”

“Kinda risky,” Roman said with a grimace.

“But it’s the carnivals with the homophobes, not the cool one that happens in August.”

“I mean, I’m not saying no. I’m just saying we need to be careful about this. Probably get costumes, gloves, the whole nine yards. We don’t want anyone catching us red-handed.”

“True,” Remus allowed. “But if you take care of that, I’ll take care of what we need to burn everything to the ground and make sure they never come back here again.”

Roman grinned. “Hey, if it teaches the homophobes their lesson, then I’m all for it.”

Remus flashed him a brilliant, joyous smile.

* * *

They ran around the site, setting up cans of gasoline rigged to explode when the heat got to them. They had everything coordinated so that no one in the trailers a mile or so away would get caught in the flames on their escape, they’d have to run into the fire or do something equally stupid to get killed. Remus and Roman were reckless arsonists, but they weren’t intending on killing anyone. They just wanted things to go “boom” and the carnival to never visit their town and spread homophobic drivel as they did so again.

Remus and Roman met up under the roller coaster, Remus giggling manically and Roman grinning like a madman. “This is gonna be great!” Remus exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

“Ssh, ssh, ssh!” Roman whispered, even though he was just as excited. “We don’t want anyone waking up just yet!”

“It’ll be fine,” Remus said. “Everyone’s asleep, they won’t see us, let alone suspect us!”

Roman took the matchbox and placed it in the center of the grass, lighting a single match before tossing it on the box and hissing to Remus, “Run, run!”

So they ran. They got to the edge of the fair grounds, ducked under the security cameras and tossed the costumes they had been using to disguise themselves into the back of their car. Remus and Roman climbed on top of it to watch as the flames grew and grew. The smoke was billowing in the air, and it wouldn’t be long before...

_ BOOM! _ A blast shook their rib cages as they watched a fireball head into the sky. “That would be one of the firebombs,” Remus said gleefully. “That was an ingenious idea, Roman.”

“Thank you, thank you! I do try!” Roman chirped. “I’m just glad we can get rid of these guys, you know? It’s unlikely they’ll ever come back after the number  _ we _ do to them.”

Remus laughed, kicking his feet in the air and clapping his hands, before a click went off behind them in the parking lot. Remus turned. There was a carnie there, looking beyond pissed off, a gun in hand. “Put your hands where I can see ‘em,” he snarled.

Slowly, Remus complied, and Roman froze next to him, raising his hands in the air.

“You two are gonna get off that van real slow-like, and the three of us are gonna take a drive to the station, you hear me? No funny business.”

Remus’ blood ran cold. If they got connected to the fires, they were done for. Remus would probably go to jail for life, and even  _ if _ Roman got out on a lighter sentence, he’d never be able to work again. Not with arson on his record. Remus climbed off the van and faced the carnie. “Easy, now. We don’t want anyone getting shot, do we?”

The carnie’s hands shook just a little. “You two are destroying my livelihood. You have to pay for that.”

“Not with our lives!” Remus scoffed.

“Remus!” Roman hissed. “Just do what he says.”

“You should listen to your brother, there,  _ Remus,” _ the guy said in just such a way that Remus bared his teeth.

“Take me,” he said. “But don’t take my brother. I forced him into this whole scheme.”

“You both enjoyed it, I saw you both laughin’!” the guy snarled.

Another explosion went off, closer this time, and as the carnie turned to look Remus rushed forward and wrestled for the gun. He got it out of the carnie’s hands and pointed it at him, and the guy paled significantly, holding his hands up in surrender. “Woah, now, surely we can work this out—!”

Roman bumped into Remus’s shoulder and Remus’ hands instinctively tightened to hold onto the gun. The trigger went off and the carnie stood there in shock for a couple seconds, before he collapsed to the ground. Remus stared in horror at the gun and quickly put the safety back on. “Christ!” he exclaimed. “Who threatens two randos with a gun with the safety off!”

“Oh my God!” Roman yelled. “Remus, you shot him!”

“You’re the one who jostled me and the gun!” Remus exclaimed, even as he went over to the body and checked for a pulse. He found one, but it was incredibly thready. The guy didn’t have long. “Fucking Christ, he’s dying, Roman!”

“What do we do, what do we do?!” Roman asked, pacing.

“Hey!” a voice yelled, coming from the direction of the fire.

Remus and Roman froze, turning to look, before Roman hissed, “Run!” and bolted.

It took Remus a second longer to react. He turned back to the dying carnie, said a soft, “I’m so sorry,” and took off running, hands covered in blood.

Roman and Remus ran and ran. “Fuck, our car’s still back there!” Roman exclaimed.

“No time to get it! Just keep running!” Remus hissed.

Hearts pounding and breath heaving, the two ran all the way back to their house. Roman let them in and immediately sent Remus to shower. Remus thought about the options in his head as he cleaned up. There was no way they were getting out of this. Remus and Roman were seen at the scene of the crime. They had started the fires. Remus’ fingerprints were on the...he swallowed. His fingerprints were on the gun that had killed the carnie. He just had to hopes that Roman hadn’t been identified. He had been further back, the fire wouldn’t reveal his whole face, hopefully. Remus, though, knew that he was done for. His face would probably forever be seared into the mind of whoever had seen him. He was going down for this. Detective Asshole would be so pleased.

But he couldn’t ruin Roman’s life for this. No, he couldn’t let Roman take the fall. That wasn’t fair to him. This whole thing had been Remus’ idea. The murder was an accident. Remus was the one who had the bright idea to take the gun. No, Roman couldn’t take the fall. If Detective Asshole came to their door, Remus would say he had been alone setting the fire. And the murder...well, that had been an accident. That was the truth. A heat-of-the-moment, try-not-to-die accident. And only he and the guy who died would know what happened. Them and Roman. And if Roman knew what was good for him, he’d keep his mouth shut.

Remus was just sorry that his flame had been snuffed out this early, and prayed that Roman’s wouldn’t meet the same fate.


	3. Wildfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tags have been updated again. Mind them.

It couldn’t be later than five in the morning when the pounding started on the door. Roman and Remus were naked in bed, trying to make the most of what the both of them knew might be their last night together for a while, possibly for the rest of this life. Remus groaned, pulled on boxers which did nothing to hide what he had just been doing, and walked to the door, peering through the peephole. Detective Asshole was on the other side.

Remus opened the door and said in a sing-song-y voice, “Hi, Logan, can I help you with something?”

“Where were you this morning at two in the morning?” Logan asked, scrutinizing him.

“Out,” Remus said with a shrug. “Here and there, can’t be sure where exactly I was, I wasn’t exactly watching the clock.”

Logan clenched his jaw. “Now is not the time to play, Mister Sanders. I’m investigating a murder.”

“So it’s ‘Mister Sanders’ now, is it,  _ Detective? _ You’ve upgraded from charging me with drunk and disorderly to charging me with murder?”

“Remus?” Roman asked from the stairwell. “Who’s at the door?”

“No one of consequence,” Remus said, staring through Logan with a benign smile.

Logan growled. “I need you to come with me.”

“Get a warrant,” Remus said, trying to slam the door closed.

Logan stopped it with his hand and his face showed deadly rage. “Mister Sanders, you do  _ not _ want to test me. Come quietly and this will go so much smoother for all of us.”

Remus laughed. “Get a warrant, or get backup. I’ve been arrested by you enough times when you were a beat cop to know that you won’t ‘go easy’ on me in any circumstances.”

Logan sighed and spoke into his walkie talkie. “This is Detective Holloway. Suspect is resisting arrest. Requesting backup.”

“I always knew you were an asshole, man. I just never suspected that you would be  _ this much _ of one,” Remus said with a sigh.

Logan growled. “Who were you with tonight?”

“Come again?” Remus asked, eyes half-lidded as he held his breath and sent out a prayer to the universe.

“The witness said you weren’t alone at the crime scene. Who were you with tonight?” Logan repeated.

“Nobody,” Remus said. “Not unless you count when I came home and I hung out with Roman.”

“No alibi, your case is getting shoddier by the second,” Logan mused.

“And I hate your guts more every time you keep opening your mouth!” Remus said brightly. “I’d call this even!”

“Remus!” Roman snapped from behind him. “Don’t!”

“You’d do well to listen to your brother,” Logan said coolly as more police officers pulled up on the street. “After all, it would be a shame were something to happen to you as you were getting put into custody.”

Remus laughed, high-pitched and demented. “Wow, you’re threatening me, now, Detective Asshole? I’m sure my lawyer will  _ love _ to hear that! Once you, y’know, let me call one. I know my rights to a lawyer, and I know some others, too. Such as the right to remain silent.”

“Then do us all a favor and  _ shut up _ before you royally piss me off,” Logan growled dangerously.

“Judging by the way your jaw keeps clenching, might be a bit late for that,” Remus said cheerfully as more officers approached. “Listen. You try anything with my brother here once I’m gone, you won’t be a happy camper. I will make the interrogation  _ hell _ for you. I will sue your asses for harassment should I hear one bad word about you from Roman. And  _ when _ I come out of the other side of this a free man, you had  _ better _ believe I will be accusing you of this being a ploy to get closer to my brother. Cheers, mate! Rot in hell!”

The officers rushed Remus and he was rather unceremoniously tackled to the ground, cuffed, and tossed in the back of a cop car. He sighed and leaned his head back, eyes closing. He was exhausted, adrenaline rushing out of his body as soon as it had been there. He hadn’t wanted to kill that guy. The fact that he had was unfortunate. And the fact that now Roman was stuck alone with Logan more so. Remus’ stomach churned.

Those rumors about Logan liking Roman in high school hadn’t exactly dimmed from his memory at all. And Logan hadn’t shown an interest in anyone save Roman for a long, long time. He sincerely hoped Logan wouldn’t try and get in Roman’s pants from this. Not least because he knew that Roman would say no and Logan would fabricate some story about Roman assaulting Logan just to punish him for saying no.

Remus forced himself to relax. There was nothing he could do about that now. He’d have to wait in holding for whenever they decided to interrogate him, and they’d probably charge him with negligent homicide  _ at best. _ He was not looking forward to this.

They took him to the station and shoved him into holding after undoing his handcuffs. He sat down on the bench of the cell that he was the sole occupant of. He leaned his head back, eyes closing slowly, and tried to concentrate on his breathing. The least he could do was try and get  _ some _ sleep today...

* * *

Roman watched Remus get taken away while what felt like a red hot iron poker stabbed him in the chest. Remus hadn’t ratted out Roman. He wanted to take the fall alone. And Roman was such a coward, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything otherwise.

Logan walked over, putting a hand on Roman’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for having to do this, but the law is the law,” Logan said. “I couldn’t let him get away with murder.”

“Right,” Roman said hollowly.

“Do you need to sit down?” Logan asked, hand never leaving Roman’s shoulder.

“Probably,” Roman agreed with a soft sigh. He went over to the couch and sat down heavily, Logan perching on the couch next to him. A few officers were milling about outside, but only Roman and Logan were inside the house. “I just can’t...I don’t want to acknowledge this is happening, you know?”

“It must be difficult,” Logan agreed. “This is why Patton, Virgil, and I always wanted you to join us. We didn’t want you to be alone when the inevitable happened and Remus did something irreversible.”

“Inevitable?” Roman repeated hollowly. “You think that Remus being charged with murder was inevitable?”

Logan continued as if he hadn’t heard Roman. “You can do so much better than him, Roman, he’s been holding you back. You could go so many places with your talent, you could become famous. But instead you stayed in this little nowhere town because of  _ him? _ Patton and Virgil have both moved to the city; I’m moving out there with them soon enough to rise up in the ranks of their local PD. You could join us.”

Roman shook his head. “No. I don’t want to join you. Remus is my brother. I’ll be there for him come hell or high water.”

Logan sighed. “He’s going to prison, Roman. The witness saw him and another man on the scene. You can hope and dream all you want, he isn’t getting out of this one.”

Roman blinked back frustrated tears. He knew that, but that didn’t mean that he was going to just pack everything out and go to live with the Perfect Trio in the big city.

Logan’s hand moved to Roman’s knee. “It’s okay to be emotional Roman, it’s part of the grieving process. But I’m here for you.”

Roman scoffed.

“It’s true,” Logan said, giving Roman’s knee a squeeze.

Roman’s heart leapt into his throat as Logan leaned closer. He moved further down the couch to keep his space, hoping that Logan would get the message.

It seemed to fall on deaf ears. Logan simply leaned over, and Roman could see the hint of desperation in his eyes. “Come on, Roman. You  _ know _ you can do better. Come with me.”

Roman felt frozen in place as Logan scooted over on the couch, cupping Roman’s face. As Logan’s lips met his own, Roman pushed Logan away. “Get off me!” he exclaimed. “I already have a boyfriend!”

Logan laughed. “Oh, come now, Roman, we both know you haven’t dated in years.”

He leaned in again and Roman pushed him harder. “Stay off me! I mean it! You’re not welcome here! Get out!”

Logan moved forward regardless and pressed his lips against Roman’s, pinning Roman’s legs to the couch so he couldn’t get away. Roman reached behind him, found the lamp on the side table, and brought it up over his head and down onto Logan’s skull. Logan cried out in pain, and the officers outside rushed in.

Roman was crying, feeling hysterical as Logan clutched his head on the floor. “He was trying...he was trying to kiss me after I told him no!” Roman exclaimed, pointing at Logan. “He’s sexually harassing me!”

“He’s delusional,” Logan said, clutching his head and glaring at Roman. “Clearly mourning the loss of his brother. No need to arrest him, he’ll come around eventually.”

The officers helped Logan up, giving Roman dirty looks as all of them left the premises. Roman felt his heartbeat skyrocket as the door slammed shut. Remus had murdered one man and Roman had assaulted another. And Roman was fairly certain that Logan would have him one way or another, and if Roman resisted, he’d be going down for charges of assault and battery.

This day kept getting worse and worse, and it wasn’t even seven in the morning. Roman dashed to his and Remus’ planning room, tearing everything down into shreds so there was no evidence of what they had done. He packed everything he and Remus might need into bags and boxes and went to the garage where the van Remus never drove anymore was just sitting, collecting dust. They had never been able to sell it, but it still ran, and today, it might be his and Remus’ saving grace.

Roman packed everything up and away in the van before pulling out his phone and dialing a number he never thought he might need. The voice on the other side was sharp as he hissed, “Whoever this is, you’d better have a good reason waking me up before seven.”

“Janus, it’s Roman,” Roman said. “I need your help. Two phony identities, me and Remus’ faces on the documents. And I may need your advice for who to bust someone out of a police station. And promise not to murder anyone when I tell you what happened, okay?”

There was a pregnant silence on the other end of the line, before a reluctant sigh and Janus said, “I’m up, Roman, I’m up. Do you have everything you need from your old house packed?”

“Yeah,” Roman said. “Clothes, sentimental items, toiletries, the works. I never have to come back to this house again, and truth be told, I don’t want to come back here, not if Remus isn’t here.”

“God, you two must have done something massive if you’re calling me and asking me to forge documents for you,” Janus said. “Come over to my place, explain what happened. We’ll get all your and Remus’ money into new accounts for fake identities and no one will have to be the wiser, okay?”

“Okay,” Roman said, feeling the tension leave his shoulders for the first time all night. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, I haven’t promised not to murder anyone,” Janus said. “What happened?”

* * *

Remus was half-asleep after a very tiring day of interrogations when he smelled it: smoke. He cracked an eye open and saw smoke curling under the door to the rest of the station. “Woah!” he exclaimed in alarm, catching the previously-asleep guard’s attention. The guard jumped to attention and pulled the fire alarm, before heading to Remus’ cell and unlocking it, cuffing Remus and grumbling procedures under his breath. Remus was the only one in their tiny town’s holding, and the guard took Remus out the fire exit, causing the fire alarm to blare throughout the station. Before Remus could so much as blink, someone had blitzed the guard and he was lying unconscious on the ground, and Remus’ cuffs were being undone by someone he never thought he’d see after high school. “Janus?” he asked in disbelief.

Janus sniffed a laugh. “Hi,” he said as he undid the cuffs. “Follow me, your brother is waiting in a van nearby.”

Remus didn’t need to be told twice. He followed Janus to the back of his and Roman’s first van that they never used anymore, and as soon as the doors closed Roman floored the gas. “You okay, Remus?” Roman asked from the front seat.

“Better now that I’m with you, darlin’,” Remus purred, nuzzling his nose against Roman’s neck.

“Ugh, you two are disgusting when you’re in love,” Janus griped from the back of the van. “Like, don’t get me wrong: I saw it coming. But romance is just  _ disgusting. _ In all forms.”

“Thanks for your opinion, Janus, no one asked,” Remus said, smiling adoringly at Roman. “You okay, darlin’? You’re shaking.”

“I’ll be okay once we’re out of town and I know you’re safe,” Roman said.

Remus turned to Janus. “What happened?” he asked.

“Logan forced himself on Roman,” Janus said simply.

“I’ll  _ kill _ him,” Remus growled.

“I wouldn’t bother looking for him. The fire started in his office, after all. And everyone’s either going home or out on patrol, hardly anyone’s left in the building so the first they heard about the fire was probably when the guard let you out,” Janus replied easily. “He was working late, I’m pretty sure that if no one finds him in a couple days he’ll be presumed dead.”

“Is he?” Remus asked.

Janus had a glint in his eye as he said, “Nah. But he  _ is _ in a deep pile of shit, what with the drugs at his house and him being stoned out of his mind and all.”

“What?” Remus laughed incredulously.

“Oh, they’ll go looking for him, find him and the drugs, and arrest him for corruption. His career’s over,” Roman said. “Good riddance. I used to like him, and I can’t believe that’s the case.”

“We all liked him when we were five,” Remus said. “Some of us just grew to know better.”

Roman barked a laugh. “Tell you what, though. Janus made us new identities, we can go wherever we please in a couple days after he’s erased our old ones from the books.”

“Seriously?” Remus asked, eyes wide.

“Yep,” Roman said. “And we can start fires wherever we go, too, if you want. No jobs forcing us to stick to one place, no people trying to arrest us for murder  _ or _ arson, we’re free to do as we please and it will be glorious.”

“Yes!” Remus exclaimed, happily kissing Roman’s cheek. “Thank you, Janus!”

“As long as you boys take out one or two targets a year for me I’ll pay you to continue this havoc,” Janus said. “Just burn them to the ground and you’ll do fine.”

“Really? We could get  _ paid _ for starting fires?!” Remus asked incredulously. “Roman, we should have called him months ago!”

Roman laughed. “I suppose we should have. He could have given us things to do that weren’t arson that would have paid twice as much as my job ever did. All for a little favor here and there.”

Remus grinned. They let Janus go back to his apartment and he and Roman went to a motel and slept together. And, the next day, as it was reported on the news that Detective Asshole was arrested on drug charges, and that a suspect was missing from custody, Remus sipped his motel coffee with his freshly dyed hair and knew that wherever he and Roman went next, sparks  _ would _ fly.

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all comments appreciated, save the hate comments.


End file.
